Comprehensive Car Insurance

[pussyfoot]

If you are insured fully comprehensive are you insured to drive other vehicles?

[hc4361]

You need to read your policy. It's not as usual to be included as standard as it once was.

[SlackAlice]

Read your policy terms. It's generally No nowadays.
You can get the policies that do, but the premium will be higher.

[Gizmonster]

My last policy didn't insure me to drive other vehicles, although I assumed it did (just as well I checked), so as hc says - read your policy.

[bhg481]

Your certificate should have it on - easier than ploughing through the policy details/small print.

[gingejbee]

Yes, it does vary...I've just checked on my insurance certificate (John Lewis Insurance) and I am covered for any vehicle as standard.

[theshedman]

Usually even if you are insured to drive other vehicles it will only be third party insurance and not fully comp.

[bhg481]

Yes Shedman, fire and theft aren't covered, so if the vehicle is stolen or sets on fire whilst you are in charge, it's your loss.

[ivor4781]

yes with mine but only covered third party.

[hc4361]

bhg, surely the registered keeper would claim if the car was stolen or burnt out.

[bhg481]

hc4361 - maybe they could, but if you are driving my car under your policy, your policy will not pay out if the car sets on fire or is stolen from you. I'm not certain whether mine would or not. It might have to go to "pistols at dawn" between me and you.

[hc4361]

My insurance certainly would pay out under those circumstances, provided of course the fire or theft wasn't due to the negligence of the driver.

[retrocop]

For the first time in a long driving career using Fully Comp I was surprised that Admiral will not give me the entitlement to drive other vehicles (3rd Party) on my current Fully Comp insurance just because of the vehicle I drive for SDP. I have a Nissan Nivara.

[bhg481]

It's not something I've seriously looked into for my own policy. The only situation I can readily think of for me driving someone else's car is to consider buying it from them or trying to diagnose a fault. In either case it would be just "round the block" with the owner sat in with me and the car never left unattended, so theft unlikely and, if it caught fire, that's their problem.

[New Judge]

More important than Fire & Theft not being covered, if you have an accident which is your fault the damage to the car you are driving will not be covered.

[hc4361]

That is true, NJ

[ToraToraTora]

There is no automatic cover just because it's comp. If it says you are able to drive other vehicles with the owners permission on your certificate then you can, usually third party only. If it does not say it then you cannot. This facility is intended to make you legal to borrow a friends car for example but as others have pointed out you will not be covered for theft/fire and indeed damage to the car you are driving.

[SirOracle]

Retro I would be inclined to move my insurance from Admiral to obtain the DOC. Most Insurers give this very valuable cover.

[Arrods]

The removal of DOC cover from many insurance policies stemmed from increasing abuse of the facility. Originally provided to cover the odd emergency situation, it has been increasingly misused.

Furthermore, if you look at insurance certificates that do give DOC cover, you'll see that the cover excludes collecting vehicles that have been impounded for no-insurance offences. Uninsured drivers were getting their mates to collect their vehicles using their mates' DOC cover!